Mayor Adams lifts 90-day rule to aid homeless crisis amidst surge of migrants
NEW YORK CITY - As more and more migrants flood into New York straining the city's already overrun shelter system, Mayor Adams signed an executive order today to ease the crisis.
He lifted the 90-day Rule that required anyone in a homeless shelter to remain there for three months before they could apply for a housing voucher to help them pay rent.
He says his emergency order will now allow homeless families and single adults to move into permanent housing more quickly to make room for asylum seekers.
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Currently, there are about 80,000 people living in homeless shelters.
More than 26,000 of them are children. The Mayor also took a swipe at Albany saying the state is failing to help the city create more affordable housing.
"People often look at the city and say build more without realizing the beginning of the process of building more starts upstate," XXX said.
"This is a huge win for families," says Chris Mann, the Director of Policy and Advocacy with WIN, the largest provider of shelter and supportive services for homeless families.
He says the Mayor should also sign a package of bills passed last month by the City Council making it easier for New Yorkers facing eviction from their homes to also apply for a voucher.
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"We really urge the Mayor to go further than just eliminating the 90-day Rule," XXX said.
But the Mayor says the Council's bill is too expensive.
"Some of the items in that package are problematic, and I think it's going to cost New Yorkers, I think their estimate was $11 billion. Our estimate is in the area of $17 billion."
The Mayor's executive order takes effect immediately.